Brooks' expulsion, patient-dumping scandal and a left-leaning Legislature lead Nevada's top political stories of 2013

Here is my list of the top six political stories from Nevada in 2013, the 60th year of life for this RGJ political reporter:

THE EXPULSION OF STEVEN BROOKS: Assemblyman Steve Brooks, D-North Las Vegas, became the first person ever to be expelled from the Nevada Legislature. It all began before the session when police found him in illegal possession of a firearm after apparently making threats to other lawmakers. Then he tried to take a cop’s gun during a domestic dispute with his estranged wife. Some who worked at the Legislature told me they feared his presence in the legislative building. Others privately said he was delusional.

Hours after his expulsion, he led California cops on an 80 mph chase on I-15 from Barstow to Victorville. Then he fought with cops trying to subdue him at gunpoint and attacked a police dog with a wrench. Now he is in the San Bernardino County jail, awaiting trial on felony charges from that police chase.

San Francisco sued Nevada over it, saying it cost that city $500,000. A California legislator called for a federal investigation. This led to an onslaught of criticism of Gov. Sandoval by the Nevada Democratic Party spokesman but nary a peep from top-ranking Democrats.

The first Sacto Bee report came out on March 1. On Dec. 18, the Bee reported some of those patients committed crimes in other cities. Soon after that, Sandoval announced an 18-member, bipartisan Governor’s Behavioral Health and Wellness Council.

THE LEFT-LEANING LEGISLATURE: Because of its overwhelming population, Clark County has come to dominate the Legislature. A progressive agenda was in vogue. A law mandating background checks for gun sales was passed but vetoed by Sandoval. The Legislature also legalized medical marijuana dispensaries. A constitutional amendment to let voters decide to legalize gay marriage also passed. It can’t be vetoed by Sandoval but also needs legislative approval in 2015 before it can go on the ballot in 2016.

BARBARA VUCANOVICH DIES: The first woman to represent Nevada in Congress died at the age of 91 in Reno, after serving from 1982 to 1996. A Republican, her battle cry in her first campaign was “What Congress needs is a tough grandmother." She was praised by Democrats for what she did for women in politics: “Barbara helped to break the glass ceiling for Nevada women in the political world," Rep. Dina Titus, D-Las Vegas, said.

I wonder if his ‘slavery’ comment would have been so shocking if the full statement had made the rounds. That would have included the phrase by Wheeler: “They’d probably have to hold a gun to my head.”

Of bigger concern to Wheeler may be a complaint being investigated by the secretary of state, alleging that Wheeler did not live in his district. He admitted to staying at his girl friend’s house in Washoe Valley (not in his district) this summer, sometimes during the session.

“Have you ever seen my girlfriend?” Wheeler said when asked about living out of his district. “Well, if you had seen here, you’d spend the night up there, too. She’s a doll. She’s a sweetheart. But the fact of the matter is, no. I live on Tillman in Gardnerville and I’ve lived in Douglas County for my whole time in Nevada.”

THE LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR’S RACE: The 2014 election features what may be the most important election for lieutenant governor in Nevada history. If Gov. Sandoval runs against Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nv., in 2016 and wins, then whoever is elected lieutenant governor will automatically become governor.

Already in 2013 Sandoval and U.S. Sen. Dean Heller, R-Nv., have endorsed state Sen. Mark Hutchison. He's off and running. So is former state Sen. Sue Lowden, R-Las Vegas. The two will meet in the June 2014 GOP primary. Lowden still has about $500,000 in debts from her failed 2010 U.S. Senate campaign. She hopes the remaining debt can be either forgiven or negotiated down to smaller amounts for repayment, if possible, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal.

Reid wanted Attorney General Catherine Cortez Masto to run for the Democrats but she declined. Reid needs a Democrat to win this race to protect his flank. It’s doubtful Sandoval would run for the U.S. Senate if he’d turn over the Governor’s Mansion to a Democrat.

About this blog

Ray Hagar is the political reporter for the Reno Gazette-Journal and a fifth-generation Nevadan. Hagar is also a co-host for the Nevada Newsmakers statewide television program. He is the co-author of "Johnson-Jeffries: Dateline Reno," a book about the 1910 "Fight of the Century" in Reno that pitted black world champion Jack Johnson against the "Great White Hope," Jim Jeffries